Lidl has become the first supermarket chain in the UK to roll out body cameras across all of its stores amidst a hike in retail crime.

The supermarket said it has invested over £2 million in the security measures, which will be introduced from the end of this month.

All Lidl employees will receive training to ensure the cameras are used safely and in a way that protects an individual’s privacy, Lidl said.

Last month, Lidl became a founding member of a business and policing partnership that aims to combine law enforcement powers with industry knowledge to target serious and organised retail crime. The supermarket said it has committed to investing around £60,000 to ‘Project Pegasus’ over two years.

The move comes after the British Retail Consortium released figures demonstrating that there were 850 incidents of violence and abuse against retail workers every day in the period from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022.

“As a business with over 960 stores across the length and breadth of the country, safety and security has always been an absolute priority for us,” said Ryan McDonnell, chief executive at Lidl. “While our stores are typically safe environments, retail crime is something that is impacting the whole industry.

“Our investment into ensuring all our stores have body-worn cameras is just one of the ways we’re taking action to protect and provide reassurance to our colleagues and customers.”

Several other British retailers have recently taken steps to prevent shoplifting and enhance safety measures to protect customers and staff.

Employees at John Lewis have reportedly been given ‘de-escalation’ training to help them evaluate if and when a customer interaction could become violent.

In September, Aldi said it was trialling bodycams worn by security guards and shop workers to address the growing crime rates in its stores.

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